Dateline Pico Rivera — The Water Replenishment District of Southern California today unveiled the design for an estimated $95 million high-tech water recycling treatment plant in Pico Rivera that will make the District – the groundwater manager for four million Los Angeles County residents — totally independent of costly imported water.
This project re-confirms the Water Replenishment District’s position as one of the state’s top innovators in the use of recycled water, said Assembly Speaker-elect Anthony Rendon (D-63rd AD). He spoke at the unveiling of architectural renderings of the water recycling plant.
“With this project, the District is proving that innovative solutions to protecting California’s water future from drought and water shortages are not years away – they’re here today,” said Mr. Rendon.
The water recycling treatment plant – the key element of the District’s Groundwater Reliability Improvement Program — is expected to be operational by 2018.
The District’s groundwater provides 40 percent of the water used by residents in 43 cities in south Los Angeles County – representing 10 percent of the state’s total population.
The groundwater plant will take wastewater that already has been treated, clean it some more with state-of-the-art techniques and recycle that water for re-use by the residents in the District’s service area. It stretches from Exposition Park in Los Angeles to Long Beach and from Whittier to the Pacific Ocean.
“This plant is not only our declaration of independence from imported water,” said District Board President Sergio Calderon. “It is also a declaration of our commitment to recycling. This is an historic moment for the District, for its residents and for the environment.”
Recycled water is readily available, less expensive and just as clean as imported water. “It is very, very safe and meets all state and federal water quality standards,” said District General Manager Rob Whittaker.
No other water supplier in Los Angeles County is as far along as this District in preparing to implement such a comprehensive water recycling program.
Almost a year ago, Gov. Brown said water recycling must be a key strategy for meeting California’s future water needs.
District director Willard Murray said that when “this groundwater plant is up and running, the District no longer will need to acquire increasingly scarce and expensive water imported from northern California and the Colorado River.”
No other groundwater basin in California is positioned in the near term to achieve the same total independence from imported water that the District will achieve when this plant is operational.
“The water supplies we have relied on for decades are under severe attack from the drought,” said District director Rob Katherman. “That’s the new normal. It now makes more sense than ever for the District to use recycled water. It’s reliable. It doesn’t matter if it rains or not. It is drought-proof.”
“It took over five decades to get where we are today – with a realistic plan to eliminate the District’s use of imported water,” said District director Albert Robles.
This morning’s unveiling was held at 4320 San Gabriel River Parkway in Pico Rivera where the plant will be. Construction is set to begin in the spring.
Mr. Schwada may be contacted at john.schwada@gmail.com
